By Your Side
by FireLionHeart
Summary: In this third installment of this series Clint and Natasha try to survive as they face challenges together and come face to face with the enemies that have been hiding in the darkness waiting for them. Rating may change in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**OK Folks, here is the third installment to this series at long last! I do apologize for taking so long but I've been extremely busy with home life. I do hope that you enjoy this story as much as I have writing it for you.**

Chapter: 1

The roar of wind whipped through his ears. Heat from the blazing sun made sweat slide down his face and made his clothing cling uncomfortably to his skin. The busy streets of the city were full of bystanders jumping out of the speeding motorcycle's way. Clint winced every time his partner had to swerve to avoid hitting one of the many market stands that were stretched out along the makeshift road. He had lost count of the people who had narrowly escaped being turned into a pancake.

"Nat this entire mission is pointless if we get killed on our way to extraction!" He yelled to her over the noise.

"I can slow down if you think you could outnumber them!" She yelled back to him and right as the words left her mouth, Clint looked back to see that their pursuers had caught up to them once again, bullets started flying in their direction and Clint groaned.

"At least get away from the civilians!"

"In case you haven't noticed its noon and civilians are everywhere! It's not like there are a ton of road options here!" She swerved again and Clint nearly fell off the back of the cycle.

"Jesus Nat!" More bullets whizzed by and Clint turned so that he could return fire. Two out of the five other motorcycles went down. "Just get us somewhere!"

"Next time you can drive and I'll provide cover!" She yelled back at him. A side road came into view and she felt her partner grab her tightly as she banked a hard left.

"Can you please give me some warning before you do that?!"

"Can you please stop whining and start shooting?!" She shot back at him and he fired a few more rounds which took out another cycle. "This is your fault you know!"

"My fault?!" He pulled the trigger again and nothing happened. Cursing to himself he threw the gun to the side, he had stolen it from one of their pursuers anyways. He turned and grabbed one of Natasha's out of the holster on her hip and continued to fire at the men behind them. "How exactly was this my fault?!"

"You're the one who insisted that you be the one to talk to Marrow!" She yelled referring to the man they had been sent to get information from.

"Fine next time you talk to the target and we'll just see how it works out!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" He yelled back to her as another cycle went down. It wasn't long before two more took its place and Clint groaned again. "How many men did this guy have?!"

"Enough," came Natasha's reply and Clint rolled his eyes. "There's the chopper!" She said and Clint turned forward to see that she was right.

"Finally! You ready?"

"Sure, it'll be fun!" She replied and Clint slipped her gun back into her holster. He watched in the distance as a ladder was lowered from the chopper and waited.

"Now!" Clint yelled and everything seemed to slow down for the moment as he focused. He jumped up on the back of the motorcycle and grabbed the hand that Romanoff reached upwards for him. With his free hand he grabbed the ladder. The bike spun away as he lifted his partner towards him so that she could grab the ladder with her free hand as well. He let go of her hand when he was sure that she had a good grip.

Everything burst back into regular time as he started climbing up and into the chopper. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he collapsed into one of the empty seats. Natasha followed a second later, choosing the seat beside of him.

"Ok," he said after catching his breath. "That one was on me." Natasha nodded then handed him a helmet that had the earpiece in it that would allow them to communicate with the pilot and whoever was monitoring the communications back at SHEILD.

"Would one of you like to explain what the hell happened out there!?" Coulson's voice filled his ear the second Clint put the helmet on.

"It was a bit of a miscommunication." Clint replied and he heard Romanoff scoff at that.

"Did you at least get the information?" Coulson asked and Clint could just picture their handler massaging the area between his eyes like he always did when he was frustrated.

"Yes sir," Natasha replied "there was a computer in Marrow's office. He had files with just about all the details of his operation."

"So the mission was not a complete waste."

"Nope, and we even managed to get more information than expected on some of his buyers." Clint chimed in.

"Hmm, well that may save you from being grounded for a week," Coulson replied.

"Hey, thanks mom," Clint replied and heard the exasperated sigh from their handler in return.

"I'll see the two of you back at base for debrief." Coulson said and the two agents echoed affirmatives. Clint sighed and then looked over to his partner. He lifted his hands and signed to her to switch their communications to private. It would allow the two of them to only be heard by each other over the massive sound of the chopper. She nodded and switched the channel as he did the same.

"Are you good," he asked.

"Yeah, just a scratch or two. How about you?"

"Think I may have gotten grazed by one of those bullets."

"Need a medic?"

"Nah, I don't think it's that bad. I'll patch it up after debrief."

"Alright." Natasha said and then sat back in her seat. Clint followed suit and stared down at the water that was below them.

The mission had taken one day to prep, eight hours to put into action, and exactly one hour and twenty-eight second to go to hell. Something Clint had said to the arms dealer they were trying to get information out of had set him off. Honestly Clint wasn't happy that he had been the main cause of the firefight and he would have felt worse if his partner had gotten hurt in the process.

"Hey," Natasha's voice in his ear snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned and met her eyes. "Honestly, Marrow was jumpy from the start." She said reassuringly. "In my opinion he was going to go off no matter what you may have said. He was the shoot first and ask questions later type."

It was true. Marrow had once shot a pizza delivery man simply because he hadn't been the one to order a pizza. The delivery guy had just gotten the address wrong but Morrow was convinced that he was a spy of some sort and the kid had ended up with a bullet between his eyes.

"Guess you're right." Clint said back to her and she nodded slightly.

"Don't beat yourself up too bad about it," She replied then shot him a smirk "that's Coulson's job." Clint laughed in response.

"And he damn well knows it." He shook his head then looked back at Natasha. "Lunch after debrief?"

"Not pizza," she replied and Clint rolled his eyes.

"You haven't tried my favorite yet," he almost wined and Natasha arched a brow at him.

"You sad that last one was your favorite." She reminded him and he shrugged.

"Hawaiian is good but replacing the ham with pepperoni will blow your mind."

"We've had pizza every day this week."

"So, pizza is one of America's favorite pass times." Clint said with a smile and Natasha rolled her eyes. "Fine, pizza for lunch and something new for dinner," he offered and Natasha shrugged.

"What makes you think I want to join you for dinner?" Clint scoffed at that.

"Please Romanoff, like you would have a life without me."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter: 2

"The two of you are just trying to give me a headache aren't you?" Fury said as he went over the mission report with his agents.

Fury sat in front of the two agents and their handler, with agent Maria Hill to his right. She had the mission report file in front of her and was making notes as the small group discussed the mission that Barton and Romanoff had just returned from. It had actually been going pretty well but when a mission ended in a fire fight it was always a mess to clean up. Fury wasn't exactly happy about it.

When the two agents remained silent, Fury sighed and then continued on. "Regardless, I do have to agree with agent Romanoff's assessment." He said "It's not likely that Marrow would have had any other reaction based on his past behavior. No disciplinary action recommended." Fury said, looking at Hill. She nodded and jotted down what he had said in the mission file. "I believe that Agents Barton and Romanoff handled the situation as best as they could within the situation that presented itself."

"I'll have the flash drive with the information that Romanoff downloaded analyzed then update Marrow's file." Hill said when she finished scribbling on the paper. Fury nodded and gave the drive over to her. She wished the rest of them a good day and then disappeared from the office.

"All in all, good work agents."

"Thank you sir," Natasha and Clint said in return.

"The two of you are dismissed." Fury said with a slight wave of his hand and Natasha followed Clint out of the office.

"Well that went well." Clint said when they were back in the hallway. Coulson joined the two of them a second later.

"Yeah, you're lucky that he didn't at least make you take a Sensitive Communications course with the recruits." Coulson commented. Clint made a face at that. "You're more lucky that I'm not recommending it to him Barton."

"You love me too much to put me through that torture." He replied back and Coulson shot a look at him that clearly stated otherwise.

"If it were just about any other situation Barton." Coulson warned and Clint shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah," the archer replied. "All negative thoughts aside, its pizza time!" Natasha, who had been quietly listening to her partner and handler go back and forth, scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You're a child Barton."

"I know you are but what am I?" he mocked her then turned back to Coulson before she could retort. "So, pizza? Will you be joining us?"

"Later," Coulson replied "I assume I already know where we're meeting up?"

"Yup," Clint responded. "We've still got some work to do."

"Great," he said "I'll stop and pick up the pizzas."

"Pepperoni and pineapple," Clint said.

"Got it."

"See ya then," Clint said and continued walking down the hall. Natasha shook her head then looked up at her handler.

"Actually, it's one of my favorites too," Coulson said to her, correctly assuming that she had never tried the pepperoni and pineapple before. "I think you'll like it."

"I liked the cheese, the pepperoni, the pepperoni and mushroom, the supreme, the BBQ, the buffalo chicken, and the Hawaiian pizzas." She replied. "It's not that I don't think I'll like it, I'm just getting tired of pizza." Coulson chuckled.

"Don't let Barton hear you say that." He replied earning a little smirk from her in return. "He's just excited to show you new things."

"I get that," she replied "but can't he add some variety to those new things." Coulson laughed and nodded his agreement.

"I'll be sure to pick up Chinese tonight so that you can have a break." Natasha shot him a curious look.

"You're having dinner with us too?" she asked.

"I was thinking I'd stay the entire time." He replied "I'll request leave from Fury. Unless that's a problem."

"No," she replied. "Not at all."

"Good. Ever try shrimp lo mein, egg rolls, crab rangoons?"

"No to all," she replied and he smiled.

"Great then that's what I'll get for you." He said with a soft smile "they are my favorite."

"Looking forward to it." She said with a slight return smile.

"I'm just going to talk to Fury for a minute then I'll be on my way." Coulson said and she nodded.

"Ok, see you then." Natasha turned and went to catch up to her partner who was chatting with another agent further down the hallway.

Coulson noted that a few agents cast looks behind Romanoff's back as she walked by them and frowned slightly at their behavior. Things were getting better since Romanoff had first joined SHIELD so he figured it wasn't much to worry about at the moment, people were always going to judge. He shook his head then walked back the way he had come.

As he reached the door to Fury's office the man himself was coming out. He nodded to Coulson then looked down the hall where Natasha had just caught up to Clint. The archer then proceeded to talk animatedly about one thing or another as the two of them disappeared outside. Coulson didn't miss the slightest of smiles that ghosted across his boss's face, no matter how quickly it had disappeared.

"Weren't those two trying to kill each other just a few months ago?" He asked Coulson who shrugged in response.

"I think that the best relationships always start out that way."

"Guess you're right." Fury said with a chuckle.

"You know there are still some people who think you're insane to let her stay here."

"There are some that still say Hill wouldn't be right as my second in command," Fury said "people are always going to have their own opinions. It doesn't make them right." Coulson just nodded then turned to his boss.

"Permission to go off base for the rest of the day?" He asked and Fury shot him a look.

"Since when do you want time off?"

"I've got some things to do." Coulson said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Granted," Fury replied "tell them that they have three days then we'll see if we got anything for them." Coulson didn't question how his boss knew his plans to join up with Barton and Romanoff. Fury always seemed to know everything that was going on at all times and Coulson were being honest, it kind of both impressed him and creeped him out at the same time.

"Will do," Coulson said and Fury nodded before walking down the opposite side of the hallway.

Coulson checked his watch. It was the first of the month which meant that he had to check up on an old friend before heading off to get the pizza that he had promised Barton. He walked outside as pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number as he searched for his car.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter: 3

"Nat, I'm not trying to rush you but I really need you to make a decision." Clint said as he looked between the three colors.

"Green," He heard her voice through the cell phone. "No, blue."

"Nat…"

"I don't know Barton!"

"Dang it Romanoff give me a color!" Clint could feel the sweat coming down his face. "Blue, red, or green." His eyes darted back and forth and he checked his watch again. "We're running out of time here Nat."

"Green," she said and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ok, I'll be back in ten minutes." He said then hung up shaking his head.

Clint reached down and grabbed two of the green paint cans. The shade was an olive green that Natasha had been going back and forth between for two days. He placed the cans in the cart and grabbed a set of paint rollers. The heat was dreadful in the warehouse that he found himself in. The air conditioner had broken down and Clint did not appreciate the irony that they were in a hardware store. He hurriedly walked to the checkout line. The cashier seemed to share the same disapproval about the air conditioner but Clint still managed to get back in record time.

Natasha, after proving that she was at SHEILD to stay, was granted the request to have off-site living arrangements. Since she had money stored in banks, pretty much everywhere, she had no problem affording a decent sized apartment in a nice area. Clint nodded to some of the people who lived in the building as he approached the front entrance. A woman held the door open for him and he shot her a grateful smile and thanked her as he entered the lobby.

When he finally made it to Natasha's new apartment he saw that Coulson was just about to knock on the door. The pizza that his handler balanced in his other hand made Clint's stomach growl. When he noticed the archer, Coulson paused and waited for the other man to catch up.

"She's finally picked a color?" He asked and Clint raised one of the cans up.

"The green one," he said. "You could give the woman three colors to dismantling a bomb and she'll have an answer in five seconds. Tell her to pick a color to paint her living room and she'll make you wish you were dealing with the bomb."

"Lighten up," Coulson said with a smirk. "It is her first real home that she's getting to decorate after all."

"Fair enough," Clint said. "How's Melinda?" Clint asked knowing that it was the day Coulson would check in on his former partner.

"She's good. Getting out of the field was a good move for her." Clint nodded and Coulson knocked on the door. It swung open seconds later and Clint wasted no time in finding a place to put the heavy paint cans down.

"Cool, you got it all taped up already." He said noting the blue tape that was in place to keep the paint off of the molding and power outlets.

"Yup," Natasha replied. She stood in the middle of the completely empty room, inspecting the job that she had done with a critical eye. Her long red hair had been pulled back into a ponytail but pieces had escaped and were framing her face.

"Why don't we sit down somewhere and eat." Coulson suggested and the two agents readily agreed.

"I have drinks in the cooler," Natasha commented. She walked behind the counter top that separated the living room from the kitchen then came back tugging a blue cooler behind her. The wheels rolled smoothly over the hardwood flooring that covered most of the apartment. The kitchen and the two bathrooms had tile.

The square tiles that covered the kitchen and bathrooms were a grey color that was marbled with some off-white color that Clint couldn't name. The hardwood flooring covering the rest of the apartment was a dark brown laminate flooring that resembled a wooden floor. It was nice and Clint was secretly glad that Natasha had chosen the olive green to paint the walls with. It would look nice.

"Do you have anything besides water?" Clint asked and Natasha shook her head. "Ugh, the two of you kill me." He said looking back and forth between his handler and partner.

"Stop complaining," Natasha shot back at him as they all sat on the floor in the middle of the room. She passed the men a water bottle and took one for herself as well.

"Whatever," Clint said then opened up the pizza box. "Oh yeah." He said after taking a deep breath, cherishing the smell of the pizza.

"You act like this is the first pizza you've had in years." Natasha said, shooting her partner a look for his over dramatics.

"You can never have too much pizza."

"I beg to differ," she mumbled under her breath and Coulson just chuckled at the two of them and shook his head.

"You first," Clint said to her, pretending that he hadn't heard her last comment. Natasha humored him and picked up a slice of the pepperoni and pineapple pizza.

"Ok," she said after taking a bite. "I'll admit that this is one of the better ones."

"Ha!" Clint exclaimed with a fist pump in the air. "She likes it folks!" Both Coulson and Natasha rolled their eyes at his antics. Clint shrugged and picked up a slice for himself and the group fell into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed their meal.

"So when is the furniture supposed to arrive?" Coulson asked Natasha after his second slice of pizza.

"Tomorrow" she replied "I'm only painting this room and the two bedrooms."

"The same green?" Coulson asked and Natasha shook her head.

"No, I haven't really decided what color the bedrooms will be yet. Clint rolled his eyes at her comment and took another bite of his pizza. Natasha shot him a halfhearted glare then turned back to Coulson. "I'm thinking some blue almost grey kind of color."

"That'd be cool," Coulson replied "you leaving the bathrooms and kitchen white?" he asked and Natasha nodded. "Not too much work then. We're just doing the living room today though?"

"Yes," she replied and he nodded.

"Well, ready when you two are" He said. Natasha nodded and stood up with him.

"Yeah I guess so," Clint said. He closed the pizza box back up and placed it on top of the cooler which he then put back into the kitchen. "Let's get started then." He said clapping his hands together. He opened up the paint cans and distributed the paint rollers and trays to the other two. They each picked a wall to start with then got to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter: 4

By the time dinner rolled around, and Coulson disappeared from the apartment to pick up the promised Chinese food, the living room walls had been completely covered. Clint opened up the windows to help with the smell and suggested that they go up on the roof to eat. The stairs in the hallway that was right outside Natasha's apartment door would lead them up there. She seemed to be hesitant about the idea but nodded all the same.

Clint grabbed the cooler and followed Natasha up the stairs and out onto the roof. It was a pretty basic view of the other surrounding buildings. Nothing too spectacular. In the middle of the open area there was a table with a red umbrella and four chairs surrounding it. The buildings' superintendent, Jason, had put them up there for the residents to use as they wished. Clint thought that Jason was a nice guy and he got the added bonus of teasing Natasha because he was sure that the man had a crush on her.

"This is nice," Clint commented as he dropped the cooler next to the table. He noticed that his partner was too busy surveying the area to pay attention to him. Her eyes were hunting for any type of threat. "You know," he said as he came up beside of her. "We can eat inside if you'd rather." Her eyes swept the area again and then she shook her head.

"No, this is ok." She said but Clint wasn't convinced. He gave her a look which Natasha ignored and Clint dropped the subject. She sat down in one of the chairs as Clint texted Coulson to meet them on the roof. She looked out towards the other buildings and watched every angle that was around her. Truthfully, Natasha didn't like being out in the open area but she wanted to get used to it as well. This was going to be her home after all. The thought of that made something deep stir inside of her.

"Hey," Clint's voice broke into her thoughts. "You good?"

"Fine," she replied. "It's just…" she trailed off.

"What?" he encouraged. She looked at him with a thoughtful look in her eyes. She was searching for the answer. Natasha was still having problems connecting words to how she was feeling. Never before had she been allowed to freely speak about emotions, especially not to someone who actually cared to listen.

"It's surreal," she decided "having my own home."

"I get that," he replied as he sat back in the chair. "I felt the same when I got my first place." The two of them fell into a comfortable silence until the sound of knocking caught their attention. Clint got up to open the door for Coulson who was balancing the Chinese food containers in his arms.

"This is awesome," Clint said as he and Natasha helped take the food and put it out onto the table. "Thanks Coulson."

"No problem. Just making sure that you don't die of a pizza overdose."

"Doesn't sound like a bad way to go," Clint joked as Coulson passed out the paper plates and plastic forks he had picked up. They all loaded up their plates with the various foods then took a seat.

"I think that this is my favorite." Natasha commented after trying the shrimp lo mein.

"Glad you like it," Coulson said and Clint scoffed.

"It's alright."

"You're just mad that we aren't having that taco pizza you wanted." Natasha commented and Clint rolled his eyes.

"I can eat other things Natasha." He said and she gave him a look.

"I haven't seen it." She replied then grabbed a crab rangoon. "This is a very close second," she said after taking a bite.

"Try the egg roll." Coulson suggested and Natasha nodded after taking a bite.

"Tied with the rangoon," she replied.

"So, you like Chinese food." Clint said and nodded "I can live with that."

"Like it would affect you either way," Natasha said taking another bite of the lo mein.

"Hey," Clint said "being partners' means a lot of time together, which means a lot of meals together." Natasha shrugged and continued eating. When the food had been eaten and the leftovers had been boxed away, Coulson cleared off the table and pulled out a pack of cards.

"Have you ever played poker before Romanoff?" She looked at him and nodded.

"Texas hold'em?"

"Not specifically," she replied and Coulson nodded.

"I'll explain." He said "Clint and I usually play a dollar a game. He owes me ten."

"I had a bad streak," Clint defended himself. "Besides you owe me six."

"Highest debt gets paid first." Coulson said and Clint rolled his eyes.

"Then I guess I'll have to catch up." He said "deal me in."

"Try your luck Romanoff?" Coulson asked her. She thought about it for a second then nodded. Coulson explained how to play then dealt the cards. After six games the sky was starting to get dark. There was a slight chill in the air as Coulson leaned back in his chair shaking his head.

"Well, now we both owe Romanoff." Coulson commented and he grabbed the cards to put them away.

"One day that blank face won't work" Clint commented and she shot him a smirk.

"If the thought makes you feel better Barton." She replied and Coulson chuckled at them.

"I guess I'll be going then." He said as he got to his feet and stretched out his back. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow." Coulson knew that Clint would be staying the night. He was also fairly sure that, if he had asked, he would be allowed to stay as well but he wouldn't do that to Romanoff.

The fact was, she was still uncomfortable with him in some aspects. He knew that he didn't have her full trust and she would likely be up all night if he stayed. Coulson respected this and after what they had been through he was sure that they were making good progress in their relationship. So instead, he bid his agents a good night and left them at the apartment.

Clint and Natasha made their way back into the living room and went around shutting the windows that had been opened. Clint didn't say anything as Natasha scoped out each of the rooms in search of anything that would raise alarms. He knew that it would be an adjustment period for her to get used to her own apartment. His partner came back into the room shortly after with two sleeping bags and two pillows in her arms.

Clint grabbed his sleeping bag and pillow from her and set them up against the wall so that he would be able to see the door. Natasha made her temporary bed on the other side so that she would be able to see the two windows that were in the room. When their stuff was all set up they both settled down and a comfortable silence fell over them.

"You know we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow." Natasha said and her voice gave a slight echo as it carried.

"I know," Clint replied tiredly. "Coulson said that he would have the surveillance ready to be installed in plenty of time to be finished before the movers get here. It's the same system that I have in mine."

"Great," she replied and tried not to worry about the potential threat of having the movers come into her apartment.

"Coulson, you, and I have all checked the company and the men coming tomorrow." Clint said as if reading her mind. "Not to mention the background checks we did on the rest of the employees, the owners, the family of the owners, recent customers, the…."

"I get it Barton," Romanoff cut in. "I'm being paranoid…sorry." Clint sat up and leaned on his elbow so that he could see her better.

"Since you've been at SHEILD your past employers have attacked twice and now we haven't heard anything for months. I think if anyone has a right to be paranoid it's you."

"I would feel better if we could find any information on what they're planning."

"Maybe they gave up?" Clint said in a voice that made it obvious that he didn't believe that one bit. Natasha didn't even bother to reply. "We'll figure it out." He said and laid back down. "We'll be ready for them." Natasha stared up at the ceiling and silently wished that she could share her partners' confidence.

"I hope."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter: 5

The next day greeted the agents with warmth and sunlight as Natasha had no curtains to block out the rays of light that poured into the apartment freely. Coulson met them not long after they had packed up their makeshift beds. Upon opening the door, Clint almost cried at the sight of doughnuts and coffee in Phil's arms.

The rest of the day passed in a rush as they got things settled around the rooms. Slowly but surely the apartment was coming together. By the time the movers took the tip that Clint provided, the sun was sinking low again and the three of them were exhausted. Coulson left them alone after the last of the furniture was moved in. He told them that he needed to return back to headquarters and took off shortly after Natasha thanked him for his help. Therefore, the task of helping to arrange the items went to Clint, but he didn't mind.

When Natasha was satisfied with the arrangement, Clint suggested that they go out and get other things that she would need such as a bedsheets, a trashcan, and all of the other random things that came with moving into your first home. Again, Natasha was reluctant but she followed obediently all the same. Clint was noticing that her apprehension was growing the more and more she got settled into the apartment. This was not shocking to Clint because he knew exactly how she was feeling. He had been through those same feelings when he was allowed to get his first apartment. It was exciting but came along with a fear that something bad was going to happen to take it all away. It's kind of like that feeling you get when you've had too much good luck lately and just know that something terrible must be around the corner to balance it all out.

Clint gave her his upmost support and patience. It was saying something that she fought him very little when he suggested going out to the local department store. It didn't matter that she flinched, ever so slightly, at the openness of the area and the large crowd that immediately surrounded them upon entering the building. She took it like a champ and continued listening to Clint listing off the things that they needed while pointing out customers that were inappropriately dressed as they passed. Clint was very much enjoying the fact that Natasha was becoming more and more comfortable with him. Enough so, that she was allowing him to see that she was uncomfortable and allowing him to help her through it.

They grabbed random household objects while Clint rambled on about topics from past missions that he found amusing, to what they wanted to eat for dinner; not that Natasha had remembered him asking to stay over again that night. It was fine though because as he continued to let her pick things out she couldn't help a smile or two from listening to her partner's gleeful talking.

"So, I had to escort this guy back to the chopper while he was trying to finish his sandwich. He didn't care that he had no pants on as long as he could take the damn sandwich with him." Clint shook his head at the memory.

"Why was the sandwich so important to him?" Natasha asked.

"Well we interrupted him while he was eating lunch," Clint explained "he said that it was rude of us to interrupt his meal and would not be going anywhere with us if he wasn't allowed to finish eating. He refused to get dressed and everything."

"Maybe you should've let him finish eating first."

"I was under strict orders to get him back within a certain time frame. Besides, his apartment building mysteriously blew up like a minute after we left." Natasha shrugged and picked out a black set of non-stick cookware. She then went about grabbing different cooking utensils and a set of matching plates, cups, and whatnot. "He was so shocked that he dropped the damn sandwich and it fell out the side of the chopper."

"I'm assuming he didn't thank you."

"No he didn't. Do you cook?" He asked nodding to the items that she had placed into the cart.

"I can learn," she replied as she placed a set of silverware into the cart.

"Ok," he shrugged "That takes care of the bathroom and the kitchen. Do you want to look at bed sets?" She shrugged and they made their way over to the appropriate section where Natasha looked a bit overwhelmed by the amount of options. Clint went straight up to one of the sets that had a pink and flowery design that was overly girly and just plain ugly. "I think you should get this one to be honest." Natasha shot him a look that made him chuckle.

"I think it would be more suitable for you." She shot back at him and he gasped.

"Oh! You got jokes now," he said throwing the set at her.

"You're a child," she placed the set back on the shelf were it belonged and went down the aisle looking at different options. "This one." She held up a set that came with a beige comforter that had dark brown and white layered stripes across it.

"Alright then," he said and pointed towards the fitted sheets. She grabbed a beige colored one that would go with the rest of the set and the pair of them headed towards the checkouts. The lady behind the register made small talk that Clint responded minimally to and Natasha not at all. The woman seemed to get the idea and rang them up quickly in silence. She thanked them and wished them a good day and the pair responded in kind before leaving the store and heading towards a fast food place that Clint had noticed earlier.

"You need the American experience that comes with getting a greasy burger and some fries. If they….yup they have milkshakes too." He said as they pulled up to the order box in the drive-thru. Clint proceeded to order them exactly that, getting Natasha and himself chocolate shakes to go with their meals.

"Why get both the sodas and the milkshakes?" Natasha asked while looking at the drink tray, which held two sodas along with the shakes.

"I swear having just a milkshake just makes you thirstier while you're trying to eat something along with it. You'll thank me, trust me."

"We have water at the apartment," she replied and Clint made a look of disgust.

"You don't have to drink water all the time Nat." He replied. "There is nothing like a good soda to go with a good dinner."

"It's healthier," she countered and he scoffed.

"With the work that we do we could die tomorrow." He replied, "I'm not going to waste my time being unhappy with my food choices."

"As you wish," she replied with a shrug. They arrived at the apartment a little later and opted to leave the stuff for the apartment in the car that Natasha was borrowing from SHEILD while they enjoyed their meal.

"Ah, the greatness that is a fully loaded cheeseburger," Clint said as he sat down on the new couch. He put his carryout bag on the coffee table in front of him then got out the containers containing the hamburger and French fries placing both items on top of his bag that he had flattened out.

"Maybe we should have gotten the plates out at least." She remarked as she watched him.

"No, no, Romanoff the point of fast food is to get your food fast and to not have a bunch of cleaning to do after you eat." He said and patted the seat next to her.

"There's a kitchen table you know," she said but sat beside him as she did so making Clint smirk at her.

"Allow me to teach you how we do things here," he said. "Now, you open up the container." He did so. "The fries are already in the handy container on top of the bag so there is no problem there. Now, you just pour the dipping sauce into the other side of the container." He opened up the multiple ketchup packets that he required and squeezed them each into the top half of the hamburger container. He placed the milkshake to his right and the soda to his left. "See, now you have your meal all out and you can just throw everything away when you're done. This is why I always request that they bag meals separately."

"Because you're too lazy to use a plate?" Natasha replied.

"Pretty much," he said with a shrug then motioned for her to get going. She rolled her eyes and copied what he had done. He nodded approvingly then picked up his sandwich. "Now we eat."

"That looks revolting," she said eyeing the chili and slaw that was oozing out of the hamburger.

"This is beautiful. It is a work of art." Clint replied with a mockingly shocked expression on his face. "Live a little Romanoff, you're gonna love it." She let out a breath but gave in to his commands. She picked up the hamburger, which was exactly like his, and immediately got chili on her hands. She put it back down to grab a napkin and Clint shook his head. "If you keep doing that you'll never get finished eating," he said with his mouth partially full. "The mess is half the fun."

"If you stain this brand new couch I will be angry with you." She said and he smiled at her before grabbing some fries to put into his mouth. She shook her head at him and picked up the sandwich again. She ignored the fact that the chili-slaw mixture was oozing out and that Clint was watching her. She took a bite and decided that never in her life would she admit to her partner that it was the best thing she had enjoyed so far.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter: 6

It was the weird smell that woke her up first. When she opened her dark brown eyes they immediately began to sting. Looking around, she could see a haze in the darkness of her bedroom. The fright had her gasping inward out of instinct which in turn switched the scream she would have let out into a harsh coughing fit. Tears began to roll as she got up and ran towards her bedroom. She wanted her mommy and daddy, they would know what to do.

She was just about to reach out for the door when it burst inwards and a woman stood before her. The two of them froze for a second and stared at each other. The woman was tall and had blonde hair that was tied back into a tight ponytail. The look in her eyes was cold and made the small child before her nervous.

"Mommy!" She cried out when the woman tried to grab her. She ran back towards her bed as if it would offer any protection as she began to cry and holler louder for her parents to rescue her from the evil looking lady. "Daddy!" She heard a yell and screaming in return and guessed that it was her parents in the other room. This only made her panic more but when she tried to run away from the woman's second attempt she didn't find herself getting too far. In one easy motion she was lifted off her feet and thrown over the woman's shoulder.

She was carried out the door into the hallway where she saw the flames for the first time. They were big and hot. From their new positions she could hear her mother and father's voice clearly screaming for her coming from their bedroom. She screamed and cried but the woman ignored her. She begged for the lady to not leave her mommy and daddy but the woman continued to walk towards the back entrance to the house.

"Liliya!" She heard her mother cry out and she cried as well before finally getting the courage to start hitting the lady in the back. Her little fist pounded away and she heard the lady use the words her mama said were bad. She then felt a pinch in her side that made her whimper. A moment later she began to feel sleepy even though she didn't want to be. The last thing she saw were the flames reaching out towards the sky as she was taken from her home, then everything went dark.

"Nat!" Clint called out as he was slammed down onto the hard floor of the training room. "I swear you aimed for the floor, the mat was inches away!" He got up and rubbed at the sore spot on his shoulder.

"Stop being a child." She said back to him and he glanced at her.

"Oh, I'm a child now huh?" He lunged and after dodging a few hits he managed to pick her up and slam her down in the exact spot he had landed moments before.

"Enough." Coulson's voice broke through the quiet of the training room, startling the few onlookers, and both agents looked up to see him approaching. He stopped and just shook his head at their antics. "It was a few days. A few days and you are already back here killing each other. Did you guys not have enough stuff to do at the apartment."

"Finished it," Clint replied.

"I don't require a lot." Natasha chimed in as she got up from her position on the floor effortlessly.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that you've got a mission." He turned and began to walk back towards the entrance. "The two of you stay on the mats!" Coulson snapped at a few newbies "just because these two like to try and kill each other doesn't mean I want the trend picking up." Clint chuckled despite himself and Coulson shot a glare at him. "We've had two agents come into the infirmary for concussions thanks to the two of you.

"Tis not our fault if they want to try something without knowing their limits," Clint said in reply.

"It sounds like they need to learn to land better so that they don't injure themselves." Natasha chimed in.

"Hmm, that's a great idea agent Romanoff," Coulson said with a glance at her. "I'll let Fury know that you've volunteered to teach them." To her credit Natasha barely reacted to the obvious empty-threat.

"Your agents would not like to learn from me," was all that she offered in response and neither Clint nor Coulson commented. It was true, while the agents were more accepting of her being there to stay, they weren't exactly going to be lining up to go a few rounds on the mats with her. They had seen her and Clint enough times to know better than that.

Fury was in the seat behind a large table when they arrived in the conference room. They took their seats after the polite exchange of greetings and Fury wasted no time in getting down to business. The mission? Some top-class scientists have been reported missing, five in total, and four of them have turned up dead. The fifth was a top biochemist by the name of Richard Helms, his family had reported him missing a month prior. He was gone without a trace, just didn't show up for work one day. After the bodies of the other scientists showed up, three days prior, a room full of people attending some banquet gets attacked and causes the death of twenty-six people in total.

"Witnesses say that there were some containers that were thrown into the room that burst open." Fury said as Coulson passed out the information they had on the mission. "They said that the room filled with some sort of smoke and that people started acting crazy, some even attacking others."

"When the ambulances arrived the people that breathed in the most just started dropping." Coulson picked up "the responders said that they were dying faster than they could get to them so they focused on people who were still standing."

"We've tracked the kidnappings back to a man named Robert Jamison. He's wanted for terrorist associations but no one could ever prove that he has done anything more than know a few known terrorists. This guy is good at what he does. He always has someone else do his dirty work and he's very good at cleaning up after himself and making sure nothing can be conclusively pointed back at him." Fury said and looked pointedly at both Clint than Natasha. "I'm sending the two of you in to figure out what in the hell we are dealing with preferably before we have a worldwide crisis on our hands. You're going to be undercover, Romanoff you will be attending his next banquet," Natasha gave him a pointed look "he will be in attendance so I wouldn't think that they will try another demonstration. With that said, you still be on your guard at all times." She nodded and he turned his attention to Clint. "You are going to be the main eyes Barton. We're going to need you to make sure that everything isn't going to head south while Romanoff tries to get information."

"When do we leave?" Clint asked.

"You head for New York immediately," Fury replied. "Also, such short notice means that you won't be on the list this time. You'll have to get creative but we need you on the inside. Get into that party." The two agents responded their affirmatives and Fury continued. "Finding out their plan is good. Getting Jamison, alive or dead, would be great. Finding the weapon is the best-case scenario."

"Yes sir," the two agents echoed each other and Fury gave them a nod.

"Saving the scientist that Jamison is holding hostage would be a plus," Coulson added and Fury nodded in agreement.

"Alright then" Fury said, "get going, and good luck agents."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter: 7

Three hours before the mission, Natasha and Clint were bent over some papers scattered across the table in the safehouse. They needed a plan, no matter how hasty they had to put one together. Clint didn't say anything, but he could feel his nerves buzzing. They had a pretty good track record building, as far as completing missions, but the wheels were still squeaky as far as how well they worked together. They needed to find the missing piece that would get them working like a well-oiled machine, as Coulson called it.

"I hate breaking into these types of parties," Clint complained again.

"And I get information better when a strange man isn't following me around and putting the mark off," Clint shot her a look. "You know just as well as I do that men are willing to give a lot more when they believe that they will get something in return." Clint begrudgingly agreed. "And you see better from a distance," Natasha said with a slight smirk.

"And I see better from a distance," he agreed with a tired chuckle then leaned back against his chair. "There's that, plus the fact that I'll have to wear another monkey-suit, and the fact that I can't take my bow in."

"Hmm," Natasha hummed to herself. "Wait," she sat up straight in her chair and looked down at the papers. "Do you have the map of the surrounding buildings?"

"Yeah," Clint pulled the map up and laid it on top of the other papers. "There's the hotel, right at the edge of the city."

"Ok," She trailed her finger across the page and stopped on a building. "What about this?" She asked as she glanced up at him. It was as if he had read her mind, Clint grabbed the laptop and pulled up a digital image of the building in question then compared it to the location of the hotel. "You set up a vantage point from the rooftop," she voiced out loud as she looked over his shoulder.

"I can keep an eye on you and the outside of the building" he said, "and still be close enough to help out if things go bad." Natasha agreed.

"And you'd get to bring your bow, minus the monkey-suit." Clint looked up from the monitor.

"It'll be risky. You'll still be in there alone," he said, and she arched her brow at him.

"Are you doubting that I can take care of myself?"

"I know better than that," He replied with a snort.

"What then?" She asked, "Are you doubting your ability to be my backup?" She hit the nail right on the head, not that he needed to tell her that.

"Never, I'm the best." He replied cheekily.

"Ok then," she said and he nodded.

"Ok, then."

Never in his life did he think that he would get used to the sight of the Black Widow in her undercover mode. Clint hated getting dressed up for big extravagant parties but he was quickly concluding that he enjoyed it when his partner had to. He shook his head at those thoughts. There was no time for that, plus it was the very last thing that the two of them needed. Their friendship was growing quickly and that wasn't something that he wanted to screw up. For either of them to have a friend was a very rare thing.

Her dress this night was a deep blue. It hugged the curve of her waist then fell freely around her thighs, coming to a stop right above her knees. She had left her hair loose, but had curled it more so that it was full of spirals that came past her shoulders. She had decided on a pair of black heels that had straps that wrapped around her ankles and left her toes open. Clint noticed that she had painted them to match her dress. A touch of red lipstick and some grayish eye makeup and she was done.

It was fairly simple but she was still dazzling. She had no problem charming her way into the party even though her name was absent. Clint thought that the poor man at the door was going to swoon. The thought made him laugh and he decided that him staying on the rooftop across the street was the best decision that they have ever made. He had a great view of the people coming and going and he would be able to see if anything happened on the outside, allowing him to be able to warn Natasha in advance.

He could hear her speaking through the device in his ear as she made her way through the party. She had chosen to stick with the American accent that she now used on a regular basis. It really was amazing how deeply and effortlessly she could change herself.

"Hey Nat," he said through his comm. "There's a limo pulling up. I'm guessing that's our guy showing up fashionably late." She didn't answer back, not to him specifically. She talked to him through the conversation that she was having with another woman.

"I hear you," she said sweetly. Clint smirked at the slight voice change she had used to make sure that he got that the message was meant for him. He doubted that anyone else would've noticed it and, judging by the way the conversation kept flowing naturally, the person on the other side of the conversation had been oblivious.

"It's him alright." Clint said when he saw the man stepping out of the back.

"Yes, I love the weather in springtime it's," Natasha said and then there was the shift again "wonderful."

"Do you think you can continue that all night?" Clint asked with a chuckle.

"Not that winter's bad," Natasha said then shifted her voice again "I've trained myself to" shift back "really enjoy it."

"Not bad Romanoff," Clint said with a smile. On the other end his partner was ending the conversation with the lady. A moment later he could hear the man of the hour giving a speech. He was welcoming everyone to the party and saying all the normal host like things. Suddenly it got weird and put Clint on edge.

"Now, for the real reason we are all gathered here." There was a pause "tonight is about showing everyone that we are not afraid of anyone." The man's voice spoke through his partners comm. "It is about showing our government that we will not stand idly by while they ruin it." There was a round of applause then the man continued. "Now let us say a prayer for the lives that have to be lost this night so that we may build a better society for the future."

"It's going down tonight," Clint said unnecessarily "Nat you've got to find that weapon."

"I'm working on it," she mumbled then the man's voice, Jamison's voice, was coming louder through the comm. Unit.

"I don't believe that I've seen you at a meeting before." The man said and Clint felt ice go through his veins.

"I've been hanging back out of the spotlight," Natasha replied smoothly "tonight is the big night huh?"

"It has been a long time coming," Jamison commented "would you like a drink?"

"I would love one."

"Careful Nat," Clint warned "he sounded suspicious." Through a window he could see Natasha and Jamison come into his view and he felt slightly better at being able to see her.

"So, miss…"

"Call me Natalie," Natasha supplied.

"Natalie," the man said, "do you wish to tell me why you are really here?" Jamison placed his hand on the small of her back and ever slightly pulled her closer.

"Nat…" Clint said in warning. His hand gripped his bow a bit tighter then he heard Natasha sigh.

"I was looking for my boyfriend," she said and Clint picked up on the tone of someone who was embarrassed.

"Ah," Jamison replied, "who?"

"I shouldn't," Natasha replied "he would be embarrassed if you confronted him. He truly idolizes you." She lied easily "I just wanted to see what the fuss was about. Why he chooses to spend time here rather than with me." Clint almost laughed at the sound of sadness that was laced within her voice.

"It's silly really," she said and looked down at her feet sadly. He watched as Jamison gently raised her chin to look up at him.

"It is not silly at all dear," he said softly to her "I believe that I would rather be with a woman such as yourself rather than here." Natasha let her eyes linger on his for a moment and Clint swore that he actually saw her blush before she looked down again. "I do appreciate his loyalty though, tonight is a very special night." He smiled at her and offered his hand "Come, let me explain it to you, and maybe we can make that boyfriend a bit jealous while we're at it." Natasha accepted his hand and they disappeared into the party. Hearing that the man bought Natasha's story, Clint could finally breathe again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter: 8

"They deserve it." Jamison said and the tone in his voice really made Clint wish that he could at least see his partner again. "How dare those rich pricks think that they can make all the decisions for everyone else. They need to hear our protest, they need to see that we are not ok with their choices."

"And you're going to be the one to show them?" Natasha asked.

"We all will," Jamison "This group, we have become a family. We all have the same ideals and beliefs. More importantly, we are not afraid to show them how we feel."

"That is a pretty important message to send," Natasha played along. "How exactly are you planning to make sure they get the message." Clint heard the man scoff then a moment later he could see them standing at a front window. He watched as Jamison pointed to a building way down the street from the hotel.

"This morning they signed one of their atrocious laws. They pretended not to hear the outrage of the people. Instead, they throw a party." The more he spoke, the more outraged Jamison sounded, and the more insanity could be seen in his eyes. "They have won the battle and have decided to throw it in our faces."

"So, the party is happening now?" Natasha asked and Clint felt his heart pumping faster. He knew what might happen if she pushed too hard and Jamison got suspicious again.

"It is right there down the street" He said, and Clint wondered what kind of spell his partner had put on this man to make him so comfortable speaking with her. "They may have won the battle, but I am fighting to win the war." Jamison grabbed onto Natasha's shoulders and smiled like the devil himself "and when we release our weapon they will feel our wrath."

"But how are you going to get your weapon from here to there?" Natasha asked in a confused voice. Her eyes were lit up as if she believed every word that Jamison said was pure gold. It almost made Clint queasy.

"We have that all figured out," the man said letting his hands drop "don't worry your pretty little head about it. It's all being set up right this moment."

Clint looked around. He walked a bit further down the rooftop until he could see down the street. There was a clear shot to the building in question. In the distance, the building was lit up and had people going in and out of it. A lot of people would be in danger if they didn't find that weapon soon.

"They've got to be setting up out here somewhere." He spoke to Natasha, "if they are preparing to do it soon." He looked back towards the building that his partner and the crazies were in. "I wish we had known that we were dealing with some sort of political cult here."

"I agree with you," Natasha said to both him and Jamison with the shifted voice she'd been using to speak covertly with her partner. "All of your ideals they are very passionate." She said with her normal voice to Jamison alone.

Clint scanned the outside of the hotel and finally spotted something. Three men were coming out of a side entrance to the building. He instantly recognized the missing scientist, Richard Helms. The other two men held a gun to the scientist head and forced him to climb into a waiting truck that had a closed tailgate.

"Romanoff, I think I've found our weapon. It's in the back of a covered truck." Clint said, "Get out of there safety if you can but I can't wait for you!" He watched as the truck started up. The other two men still aimed at the back of the truck as it was moving.

Clint acted fast. He notched an arrow and let it fly at the ground towards the direction the truck would have to take. He quickly positioned his bow and was sliding down the thick wire attached to the arrow. The truck passed and Clint landed directly on the hood. He saw the scientist's surprise through the windshield. Clint groaned as his muscles protested at the impact, but he swiftly got from the hood and into the passenger seat. The scientist had rolled down the window for him which was nice.

"Barton be careful," he heard his partner hiss in his ear.

"No worries," he said to her. He looked to the scientist now panicking in the seat beside him. "I'm here to save you."

"The gas will explode if I go below fifteen," the scientist said. Clint looked at the speedometer which was between fifteen and twenty. "They want me to crash into the building. They would have killed me either way."

"Well," Clint said, "This is going to be painful." He said and noted that they were running out of time.

"Don't do anything stupid Barton!" Natasha said and Clint ignored her.

"Get up as soon as you can and run to the first café that you see. A pretty redhead will come and get you from there. She'll say the code 'stupid hawk' don't go with anyone else. Do you understand?" The scientist looked confused but nodded. "Great, brace yourself." With no further warning Clint quickly opened the driver door and pushed the scientist out. He jumped into the driver seat himself and made a hard turn away from where the man had fallen. He looked back and shook his head. He had been inches away from hitting the curb right in front of the building.

"Barton!" Natasha snapped into his ear.

"Is Jamison incapacitated?"

"Yes, he is." She almost sounded offended at the question. "I'm picking up your new friend now. He's trying like hell to hobble to a café. You do know that there isn't one on this street, right?" He heard tires squeal and then heard his partner talking.

"My bad," Clint said. He heard her giving directions to the scientist "I've sent our friend along to the extraction location." She said to Clint.

"Good I…" the sound of beeping cut him off and he cursed loudly.

"What's wrong?" Natasha demanded.

"I think this thing is on a timer on it as well."

"Drive back towards my location." He heard her say. In the background he could hear the sound of another engine revving up. "you'll be coming in hot." She said, "I've got some men on my tail."

"wouldn't be us without a little danger," Clint replied as he made a quick U-turn and headed back the way that he came. The traffic was not fun to deal. He cringed when he heard the two cars he had cut-off run into each other.

The sound of gunfire caught his attention as well and he saw Natasha on a motorbike a second later. He grabbed the pistol out of his side holster and took care of the driver of the car ahead of him. Natasha took out the other man shooting at her then used the brief pause in the attack to cut across the road. She made a tight U-turn and pulled up beside the truck. A second later she jumped to get onto the passenger side of the truck. Grabbing on to the still open window, she managed to balance herself on the step-up bar below the door for a moment. The shooting started back, and Clint felt his heart skip when he had to swerve out of the way of another car. Natasha glared at him. She released one hand to reach for one of her hidden guns and returned fire. The sound of crashing told Clint that she had hit her targets. Another brief pause and Natasha used the opportunity to climb inside.

"Nice of you to join me," Clint said with a nervous smile her way.

"SHEILD is on their way to pick up Jamison and round up the rest of his group." She filled him in briefly as she climbed into the back towards the beeping gas canisters. "There are three groups of five canisters back here." She said from behind him.

"That doesn't sound good."

"The ten groups are all on different timers, the first being in one minute." She continued sounding rather too calm for the situation.

"So, definitely not good," Clint replied, "what are you saying?"

"I'm going to try and disable as many as possible but," she paused for a moment "get as far away from the city as you can."

"Already being done." They were lucky that the edge of the city wasn't that far away. Clint recalled the map of the location in his head and knew that there was a small stretch of open land in the direction he was going. It was under construction and would be abandoned at that time of night. That was his goal.

"Two down," Natasha called. "It looks like they are all wired differently."

"They're thorough, I'll give them that."

"Three down," Natasha said "Clint. I'm not going to get these all disabled."

"Do your best and we'll jump for it." Clint raced towards the empty lot as his partner worked as fast as she could to at least buy them some time.

"Barton, they are running down too fast. There's still five more"

"Jump!" Clint yelled back at her.

"No!"

"Natasha go, I'll be fine!"

"Be quiet!" She yelled back at him.

"Damn it Romanoff!" The lot that Clint was thinking of came into view right about the same time that Natasha was jumping back into the passenger seat. A second later the sound of hissing filled the air.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter: 9

It was only seconds. They reached the lot and jumped quickly out of the cab of the truck. Clint made sure that he put it in park, not wanting the truck to travel out of the safest zone they could find. As if reading each other's mind, they slammed the truck doors closed and ran away as fast as they could. Neither of them daring to breathe until their lungs screamed for relief.

Natasha came to a stop and took a second to catch her breath. When she stood she immediately looked towards the direction her partner had fled. In the opposite direction of the truck he was hunched over as she had been a moment earlier. It appeared that he was trying to catch his breath but was not having an easy time of it.

"Barton," she called but he didn't respond. This worried her but then he started coughing. He grabbed at his chest unable to stop and, after taking a deep breath, she was running as fast as she could towards him. She reached him and quickly pulled him further away from the truck. She kept moving until she could no longer hold her breath then stopped to assess her partner. "Breathe Barton," She said as she was pulling out her cellphone.

"Barton inhaled some of the gas. We need a cleanup crew and medics immediately." She commanded as Clint was finally starting to catch his breath.

He got a few healthy breaths into his chest then stood up properly. He shook his head to clear it then looked at Natasha who was still on the phone giving whoever was on the other end their location. He shook his head again and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm good Tasha," he croaked out and she shot him a look. He was about to tell her to stop worrying about him but a flash of something went across his vision and had him pausing. He looked into his partner's eyes and everything went fuzzy for a moment before clearing again.

"Barton?" He heard her clearly one second and then it sounded as if he were under water the next. He tried to focus on her face but it faded in front of him to be replaced with another.

" _Barney?" Clint asked. His brother looked at him with disgust and pulled out a knife. "Barney don't!" Clint yelled. "Don't!"_

" _Why couldn't you just mind your own business Clint?" Barney's voice sounded so evil that it sent shivers down Clint's spine. "Why couldn't you let it go?"_

"Barton!" Natasha yelled at her partner. "Clint!" His eyes were red and his breathing had turned rapid. She took a step towards him and he quickly retreated.

" _I just wanted to help you Barney."_

" _Why couldn't you leave me alone?!" Clint saw the knife coming but there was no stopping it. The pain was excruciating and he couldn't help but yell out._

"Clint, it's not real!" Natasha yelled as she got to her knees beside where her partner had just collapsed. He whimpered in pain and held his stomach. Natasha quickly undid the tactical vest he was wearing and lifted the shirt he wore underneath. The only thing that was there was an old scar that looked to her like a knife wound. She filed the information away for another time. "It's all in your head," she tried to reassure him. He jerked away from her and scrambled backwards.

" _Come here boy!" A man yelled and Clint turned from where he laid on the ground. He saw his father approaching him and felt his heart drop. "You worthless little shit! Get up off the ground!" Clint felt like a rib might break as the man kicked him hard in his side. "You are nothing! I should've gotten rid of you a long time ago!"_

" _No!" Clint yelled as he saw a gun in his father's hand. There was a shot and the bullet hit the wooden floor, barely a foot from his head._

"It's ok Clint," Natasha said as he started shaking "It's not real." She heard cars behind her. The gun at her side was up and aiming towards the road until she recognized the SHEILD agents coming towards them. "One moment." She said to her partner then got to her feet. She rushed to meet the agents and it was due to her reputation that all four of them froze, apprehension plastered on their faces.

"Where's Coulson?" she demanded. Clint cried out and the other men took their attention off her and looked towards her partner. "Where's Coulson!" She snapped louder, snapping them back to her.

"Here Romanoff!" Coulson approached and walked right past her towards Clint. Natasha didn't take her eyes off the agents in front of her. She saw one that she knew Clint liked. Adams, she thought his name was. She remembered that he had been one of her guards when she had first arrived at SHEILD. He wasn't a bad guy.

"Go," she said to him and he rushed over to help Coulson. "The rest of you back in the car." She commanded. "Prepare for clean up." They all looked dumbstruck but she held her glare. She was not going to let more agents than necessary see her partner in such a vulnerable state.

"Do what she says!" Coulson yelled from behind her and the men were quick to get back in the vehicle. "We'll have them come back to contain the area." Coulson said to Adams as they lifted Clint. "Thanks Romanoff," he nodded to her as they rushed to get Clint in the second car that Coulson had arrived in.

She followed and climbed in behind them. Adams took the wheel as another vehicle arrived at the scene. "There's the cleanup crew." Coulson commented. "We're on our way to meet up with the medics. We couldn't risk bringing them all the way in case there were hostiles." Natasha nodded then was catching Clint's fist as it shot out and probably would have hit Coulson square in the nose. He yelled out at being restrained.

"Thanks" he said to her with wide eyes. He was never more thankful for her quick reflexes.

"No problem," she replied struggling to help him hold her partner still. They didn't want him hurting himself or them.

"Did you breathe any in?" Coulson asked.

"I don't think so," she replied, "I haven't had any hallucinations." She caught his other fist that was attempting a shot at her temple.

"Ok," Coulson said, "let me know straight away if you feel any different Romanoff. Don't play around with this stuff."

"Yes sir," she barely managed to get out as they strained to push Clint back down into the seat.

It took both Natasha and Coulson to get Barton out of the car when they arrived. The medical team was ready to go but didn't rush them, they had learned quickly. All was looking good until Clint broke away and began to lash out at the medical team.

"Clint!' Coulson yelled and moved to jump in but Natasha was already on it. Barton whipped around and threw a punch at her when she tried to subdue him. She ducked quickly and tried to tackle him to the ground. What she didn't expect, was for him to use the momentum to turn them around and pin her down. The brief surprise allowed him to get his hands around her throat.

"Romanoff!" She heard Coulson approaching but, unfortunately, that meant that Clint did as well. He got off her with lightning speed and was engaging Coulson. The air burned as it rushed back into her body. Natasha quickly got to her feet and ran towards the medic team. She knew that Clint needed treatment as soon as possible and she was done playing around.

No one stopped her when she grabbed a bag and dug around until she found what she was looking for. The second her hand wrapped around it she heard someone hit the ground and whipped around to see Coulson on his back. Clint pulled Coulson to his feet and landed a hard punch to his handler's ribs. She winced when she heard the impact. Natasha ran to intervein and managed to tackle them both to the ground, this time being more aware. She rolled away from Coulson knowing that Barton would follow her lead.

They both recovered quickly, and Natasha had to move fast to avoid a fist directly aimed at her nose. Clint yelled out a frustrated scream at her and moved to attack again. She dogged and reflected as he fought like a caged animal. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Coulson move in to help but she shook her head.

The problem was that they had fought together so often that, even if he didn't recognize her, his body did. He reacted on instinct and every time she tried to get close to him he managed to stay away. Natasha knew that they were running out of time. It was time for a different approach.

Clint went to tackle her and this time she didn't stop him. The weight of him slamming into her knocked the air out of her lungs but she remained focused on her goal. The syringe was stabbed into his neck as he once again reached for her throat. He collapsed a second later and was quickly taken by the medics surrounding them. Coulson was by her side in an instant to help her to her feet.

"I'm fine," she wheezed as she was trying to breathe properly again. They walked over to where Clint was being loaded and Natasha felt a wave of guilt crash over her as she saw her partner's unconscious form. She had drugged him. She had done the thing that they both despised, something they both deeply feared.

"Natasha," Coulson's voice cut into her anxiety. "We needed to get him looked at. It was the right thing to do." She nodded but it didn't help much to ease the pressure quickly building in her chest.

"C'mon," Coulson said "let's get back." She nodded and followed him to the waiting car.


End file.
